Dispensing container for insulated wire or the like



May 5, 1964 c. R. SCHEURING DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR INSULATED WIRE OR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1961 Charles? Sclzezzztizej B119 4 \i ,2) ATTORNEY y 1954 c. R. SCHEURING 3,131,886

DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR INSULATED WIRE OR THE LIKE Filed June 22, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 612822 68X. Jekearz'zzg,

BY m4 United States Patent Oflice 3,131,886 Patented May 5., 1964 3,131,886 DISPENSING CGNTALNER FOR INSULATED WERE GR TIE. LIKE Charles R. Scheuring, Angola, Ind, assignor to Buckeye Molding Company, Miamishurg, Ghio, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 22, 1961, Ser. No. 118,797 Claims. (Cl. 242-12953) The present invention relates to a dispensing container for insulated wire or the like.

Generally, there is provided a container having two semi-cylindrical parts defining the side walls thereof and shaped to provide a narrow longitudinally extending dispensing slot along one pair of their mating edges. The ends of the container are closed by snap-on flanged circular caps, the centers of which are inwardly dished, first, to provide sockets by which the container can be detachably mounted between two relatively movable trunnion-like supporting elements and, secondly, to provide internal trunnion-like bosses for co-axially rotatably supporting a spool or reel of insulated wire or similar filamentary material. During shipping or storing of the wire-filled package, the dispensing slot is sealed against ingress of moisture, dust or other contaminants, by a strip of adhesive tape or a label covering the dispensing aperture.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a sealed container rotatably supporting therein a spool of wire or the like dispensable through an easily uncovered dispensing slot in the side wall of the container.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device having its end walls centrfl'ly dished, both to provide trunnion-like bearing elements for rotatably supporting the spool coaxially therein and, also, bearing sockets for receiving trunnion-like elements of a container support.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispensing container of the type disclosed having a longitudinally extending dispensing slot closed during shipping and storing by an adhesively attached flexible closure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet efiective and efficient in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view in vertical axial section taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation in section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded end elevational view of the overlapped joint opposite the dispenslng slot;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of the dispensing slot;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the container supporting bracket;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing a modified form of the container;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of the container holder;

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view of the holder of FiGURE 8 partly in longitudinal section, taken on line 99 of FIGURE 10; and

GURE 10 is an end elevational view of the holder of FlGURES 6 and 7, from the right sides of said figures, with a modified form of container mounted thereon.

With reference to the drawings, numeral 11 generally designates the dispensing container as a unitary package, and numeral 12 designates a supporting bracket therefor. Bracket 12 comprises a U-shaped element 13, the b ight portion of which may be apertured at 14 to receive screws for attaching the bracket to a wall or table, etc. Element 13 may be molded from somewhat resiliently flexible plastic material whereby the disc-like integral bosses or trunnions 15 :can be separated for insertion of container unit 11 therebetween for its support thereby. Bosses 15 may be covered with a coating 16 of any suitable material (applied by spraying, dipping, etc.) for increasing the coeflicient of friction of the boss surfaces to better hold container 11 in adiusted position in the supporting bracket 12. The increased frictional effect, if needed at all, could also be provided by roughening or knurling the surfaces of bosses 15 and/or the surfaces of cooperating depressions 17 in end caps '18 of container 11.

Container 11 comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical elements 19 and 2G formed of molded stifi but somewhat resilient plastic material, which is desirably transparent to permit visual checking of the quantity of wire W remaining on the enclosed spool or reel 21. The mating edges of elements 19 and 20 are provided with overlapping flanges 22 and 23, respectively (FIGURES 4 and 5), the latter fitting within the former. The flanges are omitted or cut away, except at the end extremities thereof, on one side of the container to define the dispensing slot 24 (FIGURES 1, 3 and 5).

The semi-cylindrical elements 19 and 2% are held as sembled by the overlapping flanges 22 and 23 and by flanges 189 of end caps 18 which fit over the ends of the cylinder formed by elements 19 and 20. Flanges 18 have inwardly directed annular beads 25 formed on their inner surfaces, which beads snap behind similarly formed mating beads 26 at the ends of the outer surfaces of elements 19 and 20.

The spool or reel 21 upon which the wire or cord, etc. is wound, is herein disclosed as a molded one-piece plastic body comprising a pair of coaxial cylindrical tubes 27 and 28 inter-connected by spacing and rigiditying radial webs 29. A pair of flat annular flanges 30, the peripheries of which extend to, but do not rub against, the inner surface of cylinder 1920, complete the spool 21. The letter W indicates the wire, or thread, etc. which is wound in multiple layers upon spool 21 and which is dispensed through slot 24 as the spool rotates on wafer-shaped trunnions 3-1. T runnions 31 snugly but rotatably engage the ends of spool cylinder 27, FIGURE 2.

Trunnions 31 are formed by central indentations or deformations of the caps that provide the sockets i1 7 previously described. The central indentations in caps 18 thus serve the dual t unctions of providing sockets 17 for mounting container 11 on the bosses 15 of bracket 13 and providing trunnions for rotatably supporting spool 21 coaxially within the container.

As shown in FIGURE 5, dispensing slot 24 is desirably closed, to exclude contaminants, during shipping and/or storage by a strip of adhesive tape T, or by a label or wrapper, if preferred. The end of the wire can be easily accessibly anchored on the exterior of the container by tape T so that as the tape is peeled oil, the unwinding of the wire will be started. Alternatively, the wire end could be itself extended, as shown at W, outwardly from an end edge of tape T to serve as a pull-type starter for lifting an end and/or edge of the tape to facilitate the peeling off operation.

In the modified container of FIGURE 7, container 71 is formed of end caps 18, as in the previously dearm 84 at right angles to each other.

scribed species of FIGURES l-6, but the side walls .are a one-piece cylinder 72 of transparent plastic material. It should be noted, however, that the end and/ or side walls could be made of glass, sheet metal or opaque plastics, if desired, and one end cap may be permanently joined to the side walls before inserting the reel and placing the other end cap afterwards, as desired.

The modified container supporter holder of FIGURES 8, 9 and 10, generally designated at 8% comprises a pair of L-shaped parts 81 and 82 of molded plastic or other The holder part 82 has a flat base portion 87 and an integral arm 88 at right angles thereto. Base portion 87 has downwardly extending undercut marginal flanges 89 which slidably embrace the side edges of base portion 83 of holder part 8-1 to permit slidable assembly or disassembly, as the case may be, of part 82 with, or from, part 81, after the latter has been attached to a supporting surface. Snap acting detents 90, formed by molded rounded depressions in portion 83 and mating protuberances on portion 87, hold the parts in their assembled relative positions of FIGURES 8 and 9 in which arms 84 and 88 are properly spaced for receiving the dispensing container 91, FIGURE 10, therebetween and supported by molded trunnions 92 entering mating depressions in end caps 93 of the container 91, as in the previously described species. Arms 84 and 88 could, if desired, be

rnade sufficiently resiliently flexible to permit springing them apart sufliciently to insert, initially or in replacement, the container 91. This feature may be added to, or be substituted for the two-piece construction of holder 80 described above.

Holder 80 embodies a modified form of means for retaining container 91 in any selected rotational orientation for desired positioning of the dispensing slot. Said means comprises a series of spaced radial ribs 94 molded or otherwise formed on one or both the end caps 93, and one or more cooperating protuberances 95 molded on one or both of the arms 84 and 88.

While the foregoing presents preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that modifications and/ or equivalents may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Structure of the character described comprising a tubular member having a narrow longitudinally extending dispensing slot formed therein, imperforate disc-shaped end members fastened to and closing the ends of said tubular member to form therewith a dispensing container, and a spool for holding a quantity of filamentary material wound thereon, said spool substantially filling said container and having coaxial bearing portions at the ends thereof, said end members being centrally deformed t0 define wafer-shaped trunnions one on each side of each end member and sockets one on the other side of each end member, said trunnions and sockets defining separate pairs of bearing means, one pair cooperating with said bearing portions at the ends of said spool and the other pair for cooperating with opposed spaced trunnion bearing elements of a holder for said dispensing container, said tubular member comprising a pair of semi-cylindrical shells having matingedges including interlocking portions.

2. Structure according to claim 1, said dispensing slot being formed by a spacing of the central portions of one pair of said mating shell edges by said interlocking portions thereof restricted to the ends of said one pair of edges.

3. Structure of the character described comprising a tubular member having a narrow longitudinally extending dispensing slot formed therein, imperforate disc-shaped end members fastened to and closing the ends of said tubular member to form therewith a dispensing container, and a spool for holding a quantity of filamentary material wound thereon, said spool substantially filling said container and having coaxial bearing portions at the ends thereof, said end members being centrally deformed to define wafer-shaped trunnions one at each side of each end member and sockets one on the other side of each end member, said trunnions and sockets defining separate pairs of bearing means, one pair cooperating with said bearing portions at the ends of said spool and the other pair for cooperating with opposed spaced trunnions hearing elements of a holder for said dispensing container, said end members having narrow inturned flanges retainingly engaging the ends of said tubular member.

4. Structure according to claim 3, said flanges and said ends having mating detent-type ridges and grooves for releasably attaching said end members to said tubular member.

5. Structure of the character described, comprising a tubular member having a narrow longitudinally extending dispensing slot formed therein, imperforate disc-shaped end members fastened to and closing the ends of said tubular member to form therewith a dispensing container, a spool for holding a quantity of filamentary material Wound thereon, said spool substantially filling said container and having co-axial bearing portions at the ends thereof, and a U-shaped holder for said container having opposed support bearing bosses inwardly disposed adjacent the free ends of the arms thereof, said end members being centrally deformed to define wafer-shaped trunnions one on each. side of each end member and sockets one on the other side of each end member, said trunnions and sockets defining separate pairs of bearing means, one pair cooperating with said bearing portions at the ends of said spool and the other pair for cooperating with said opposed spaced bearing bosses of said holder for said dispensing container, said U-shaped holder being a strip of relatively stiff and springy material and having its opposed bosses provided with friction increasing surfaces to hold said container against undesired rotation in said holder while permitting relatively easy intentional rotation thereof to desired adjusted positions, and said friction increasing surfaces being coatings of rubber-like material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,088,731 Roller Mar. 3, 1914 1,537,253 Miller May 12, 1925 1,655,561 Pohle Ian. 10, 1928 2,285,270 Gelow June 2, 1942 2,515,669 Scholl July 18, 1950 2,535,188 Beckner Dec. 26, 1950 2,844,246 Kingsley July 22, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,087,433 France Feb. 23, 1955 694,779 Great Britain July 29, 1,953 

1. STRUCTURE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A NARROW LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING DISPENSING SLOT FORMED THEREIN, IMPERFORATE DISC-SHAPED END MEMBERS FASTENED TO AND CLOSING THE ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO FORM THEREWITH A DISPENSING CONTAINER, AND A SPOOL FOR HOLDING A QUANTITY OF FILAMENTARY MATERIAL WOUND THEREON, SAID SPOOL SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING COAXIAL BEARING PORTIONS AT THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID END MEMBERS BEING CENTRALLY DEFORMED TO DEFINE WAFER-SHAPED TRUNNIONS ONE ON EACH SIDE OF EACH END MEMBER AND SOCKETS ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF EACH END MEMBER, SAID TRUNNIONS AND SOCKETS DEFINING SEPARATE PAIRS OF BEARING MEANS, ONE PAIR COOPERATING WITH SAID BEARING PORTIONS AT THE ENDS OF SAID SPOOL AND THE OTHER PAIR FOR COOPERATING WITH OPPOSED SPACED TRUNNION BEARING ELE- 